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This Day in Baseball History
August 17th

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49 Fact(s) Found
1894 The Phillies rout the Colonels at the Philadelphia Baseball Grounds, 29-4. Louisville right-hander John Wadsworth sets a National League record by giving up 28 singles in one game.
1904 Boston American hurler Jesse Tannehill no-hits the White Sox at Chicago's South Side Park, 6-0. The 30-year-old southpaw issues one walk, hits a batter, and strikes out three en route, tossing the third no-hitter in the American League's brief history.
1909 Nap Lajoie resigns as the manager of the faltering Cleveland club. The fans still support the popular skipper when a response to a newspaper poll indicates the overwhelming choice is to keep the team name as the Naps instead of choosing a new one, which will not happen until they become the Indians following the 1914 season.
1920 Indians' shortstop Ray Chapman dies after being hit by a pitch thrown by Yankee submariner Carl Mays in yesterday's contest at the Polo Grounds. The death of the 29-year-old expectant father remains the only on-field fatality of a player in major league history.
1933 On his way to establishing the mark of playing in 2,130 consecutive games, Yankees' first baseman Lou Gehrig quietly surpasses Everett Scott's previous record of 1,308 games, appearing in every inning of all but 42 contests. The first baseman's single and triple don't prevent the last-place Browns from beating the Bronx Bombers in ten innings at Sportsman's Park, 7-6.
1937 In Cincinnati, the Cardinals beat the Reds, 8-6, in nine innings at Crosley Field. The final out of the two-and-a-half-hour contest is recorded at 12:02 a.m., marking the first time a major league game ends after midnight.
1944 Johnny Lindell, who enjoys a five-for-five day at the plate, hits four consecutive doubles at Yankee Stadium. The New York center fielder scores twice and drives in two runs in the team's 10-3 victory over Cleveland at the Bronx ballpark.
1947 The Lowell Orphans, a bankrupt minor league team that moved from Lawrence, (MA) last month, draws only 85 paying customers to a doubleheader. The team's poor performance, which includes a twenty-game losing streak, causes the city to evict the New England League franchise from Alumni Field, making it necessary for the club to finish the season on the road.
1948 At Yankee Stadium, an estimated 100,000 fans view the body of Babe Ruth. After the funeral mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the 'Bambino' burial occurs at the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne (NY).
1948 Yankee first baseman Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the season, tying one of the major league records established by Babe Ruth, who died yesterday. The Bambino set the record playing for the Red Sox in 1919 when he hit 29 round-trippers in his final season in Boston.
1957 In a game against New York at Connie Mack Stadium, a foul ball off the bat of Richie Ashburn breaks the nose of spectator Alice Roth, the wife of an editor for Philadelphia's Bulletin. While on a stretcher, the Phillies leadoff hitter nails her again during the same at-bat.
1966 After tying Jimmie Foxx yesterday for most career home runs hit by a right-handed batter, Giants slugger Willie Mays passes 'Double X' with his 535th homer. The San Francisco center fielder now takes second place on the all-time list, trailing only Babe Ruth's 714.
1967 The Tigers obtain Eddie Mathews from the Astros to replace a slumping Norm Cash, who skipper Mayo Smith had benched. Detroit's new first baseman will hit .231 in 36 games for pennant contenders.
1968 After four tries, the Mets still haven't scored a run when Jim McAndrew starts a game with their 1-0 loss to Houston at Shea Stadium. In his first four major league appearances, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander has a puny 1.82 ERA but is 0-4 due to the team dropping two 2-0 and two 1-0 decisions.
1969 The Mets sweep a doubleheader from the Padres for the second consecutive day, beating San Diego 3–2 in both ends of the Shea Stadium twin bill. Yesterday, behind solid starts by Tom Seaver and Jim McAndrews, the Amazins beat the Friars, respectively, 2-0 and 2-1.
1971 After getting hit by a pitch in the third inning by a Steve Arlin fastball, Ron Hunt takes exception of getting plunked again two frames later by the Padres pitcher. The combative Expo second baseman, who will be the only player ejected from the San Diego Stadium contest, shows his displeasure by ripping off backstop Bob Barton's mask and punching the catcher squarely in the face, igniting a bench-clearing brawl.
1971 During a visit to the White House, 21-year-old Vida Blue, who is presently 22-4, is told by President Nixon that he is the most underpaid player in the game. The Commander-in-Chief shares with the eventual Cy Young Award winner and AL MVP he would like to negotiate the A's southpaw's next contract, much to the chagrin of Oakland owner Charlie Finley.
1972 On his wife's birthday, Steve Carlton extends his streak to 15 consecutive victories when he beats Cincinnati 9-4 to win his 20th game of the season. After the contest, 'Lefty' returns from the clubhouse and stands near home plate to acknowledge the deafening cheers from the sold-out crowd at Veterans Stadium.
1973 At Shea Stadium, 42-year-old Willie Mays hits the 660th and final home run of his career off Cincinnati southpaw Don Gullett. The Mets first baseman, who played 21 seasons roaming the outfield for the Giants before coming home to New York last season, is third on the all-time home run career list behind Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (703).
1976 After stroking a one-out single in the tenth inning, George Brett steals second base and advances to third base on a throwing error by Cleveland catcher Rick Cerone. With Dave Nelson's at-bat, the Kansas City third baseman steals home, giving the team a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Tribe at Royals Stadium.
1980 George Brett reaches the .400 mark when he goes 4-for-4 in the Royals' 8-3 victory over Toronto. The Kansas City third baseman receives a standing ovation from the Royals Stadium crowd of 30,693 fans after blasting a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning.


Royals Stadium Scoreboard

1980 Al Oliver compiles 21 total bases in a twin bill, tying the American League record when Texas sweeps a doubleheader from the Tigers, 9-3 and 12-6. The Ranger left fielder homered, doubled, and tripled in the opener before going deep three times in the nightcap.
1980 The Tigers retire Al Kaline's uniform #6, making 'Mr. Tiger' the first player in franchise history to receive the honor. The Hall of Famer, who joined the team as an 18-year-old, roamed the outfield for Detroit from 1953 to 1974, becoming the team's leader in home runs (399) and games played (2,834) during his 22-year career in the Motor City.
1984 Pete Rose returns to the Cincinnati lineup for the first time in six years, going 2-for-4, including a single in his first at-bat, in the team's 6-4 victory over Chicago at Riverfront Stadium. 'Charlie Hustle,' traded by the Expos yesterday for infielder Tom Lawless, also replaces Vern Rapp in the dugout in his new role as the club's player-manager.
1984 A stamp featuring Roberto Clemente, the fourth in a series honoring American sports heroes, is unveiled in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the late Pirates outfielder's home. The twenty-cent six-color commemorative, designed by Juan Lopez-Bonilla, shows the pensive Hall of Famer wearing his Pittsburgh cap with the Puerto Rican flag in the background.

1984 Roberto Clemente stamp
1986 The Reds player-manager Pete Rose makes his final major league plate appearance, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning of a 9-5 loss to the Padres at Riverfront Stadium. The all-time hit leader, who will end his 24-year career with a .303 batting average, is struck out by future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage.
1990 In the team's 4-2 victory over Texas at Arlington Stadium, Carlton Fisk breaks Johnny Bench's record for home runs by a catcher when he hits his 328th, a deep shot to left field off Charlie Hough in the top of the second inning. The White Sox backstop, who hit 162 round-trippers while playing for the Red Sox, will end his 24-year Hall of Fame career with 376 homers, 351 as a catcher.
1992 Kevin Gross, retiring 22 of the final 23 batters he faces on his wife's birthday, no-hits the Giants at Dodger Stadium, 2-0. The LA right-hander's no-no averts the team from being swept in a four-game series at home against the Giants for the first time in 69 years.

1999 Jesse Orosco sets a major league mark pitching in his 1,072nd game, passing Dennis Eckersley on the all-time career appearance list. The 43-year-old Baltimore reliever, who will finish his 24-year career appearing in 1252 big-league contests, retires the only batter he faces on a fly ball to center field in the Orioles' 8-3 victory over Minnesota at Camden Yards.
2001 After hitting a double, triple, and homer, Blue Jay Jeff Frye elects to turn an apparent additional double in the seventh inning into a single, making the infielder only the second player in Blue Jay history to hit for the cycle. Kelly Gruber, the other player to accomplish the feat for the franchise, makes it to the SkyDome in time to give an on-field hug after Frye's fourth at-bat.

2002 Homering in the seventh inning off Mariner starter James Baldwin, Yankee All-Star Alfonso Soriano becomes the first second baseman to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. Bobby Bonds is the only other Yankee to post a 30/30 season, accomplishing the feat in 1975.
2002 Alex Rodriguez becomes the sixth player and the first infielder to compile five consecutive 40-home run seasons. The Rangers' shortstop joins Ralph Kiner (1947-51), Duke Snider (1953-57), Ken Griffey Jr. (1996-2000), Sammy Sosa (1998-2002), and Babe Ruth (1926-32), who established the record with seven straight 40-homer seasons.
2003 Good grief, Peanuts character Charlie Brown joins the late broadcaster Bob Prince, Negro League star Josh Gibson, former catcher Manny Sanguillen, and current shortstop Jack Wilson honored by the Pirates with a bobblehead doll giveaway day. Almost ten percent of the nearly 18,000 Peanuts strips created by Charles Schulz focused on baseball.

2003 The Rally Monkey, the Angels' unofficial mascot, is honored for contributing to last season's world championship with a promotion featuring a bobblehead doll wearing an Anaheim jersey with the primate's name on the back. The Rally Monkey Bobble Belly joins other giveaways paying tribute to Angel legends, including Troy Glaus (2002 World Series MVP), Adam Kennedy (ALCS MVP), and Mike Scioscia (AL Manager of the Year).
2004 Mark Teixeira becomes the second player in franchise history to complete the cycle, stroking a seventh-inning single off Cliff Bartosh in the team's 16-4 rout of the Indians at Arlington's Ameriquest Field. The 24-year-old switch-hitting first baseman finishes the day, going 4-for-5 and driving in a career-high seven runs.
2004 At 19, B.J. Upton becomes the first teenager in more than six years to homer in a major league game when he goes deep at Tropicana Field in the Rays' 8-3 victory over Anaheim. Aramis Ramirez was the last major leaguer to hit a round-tripper before his 20th birthday when he connected off Philadelphia's Tyler Green, playing for the Pirates in 1998.
2004 As she enters Sacramento's Raley Field at 6:27 p.m., five-year-old Olivia Perez is honored by the River Cats as she becomes the four millionth fan in franchise history. The Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland A's reaches the milestone faster than any club in minor league baseball history.
2005 St. Louis announces the franchise has broken its single-season attendance record of 3.43 million set in 1989. The first-place Cardinals have sold 3.45 million tickets for the team's farewell season at 40-year-old Busch Stadium.
2006 For the first time in big-league history, both teams hit leadoff home runs in the first two innings of a game. In a 5-4 White Sox victory over Kansas City at U.S. Cellular Field, Royals batters David DeJesus and Emil Brown homer leading off in the first and second inning, respectively, as do Pablo Ozuna and Jermaine Dye for Chicago.
2008 Melvin Mora collects five hits, including two homers and a pair of doubles, in the Orioles' 16-8 rout over Detroit. The Birds' third baseman, who drives in a career-high six runs with 12 total bases, leads Baltimore's 22-hit attack at Comerica Park.
2008 The Nationals play their longest game in team history in terms of time when it takes five hours and 29 minutes to beat Atlanta at Turner Field, 8-7. Adam LaRoche breaks the 7-7 tie when he leads off the top of the 15th inning with a home run over the right-field wall off right-hander Kris Medlen.
2008 During the fifth inning of an 11-8 loss to the Twins at the Metrodome, Mariners' right-hander R. A. Dickey throws four wild pitches, tying a major league record for WPs in one frame. The infamous inning includes a passed ball charged to Seattle's backstop Kenji Johjima.
2008 The Blue Jays set a team record for two-baggers, slugging ten doubles in a 15-4 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. With his 5-for-6 performance, Alex Rios ties a club mark, becoming the third player in franchise history to hit four doubles in one game.
2008

In a pregame 55-minute ceremony at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio becomes the ninth Astro to have his jersey number retired. The Smithtown, N.Y. native, who wore number 7, is the team's all-time leader in games (2,850) and seasons (20).

2008 Josh Hamilton is only the sixth major leaguer intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Rays' manager Joe Maddon's decision to give the Rangers' slugger a run-producing free pass in the ninth inning is successful when Tampa Bay goes on to win the game in Arlington, 7-4.
2012 🇺🇬 Lugazi, Uganda, becomes the first team from Africa to appear in the 66-year history of the Little League World Series when Aguadulce, Panama, defeat them, 9-3. None of the African youths, who have become the tournament's darlings, have played baseball for more than two years.
2013 Baseball suspends Miguel Tejada for 105 games, one of the longest in baseball history, after he tested positive on multiple occasions this season for Adderall, an amphetamine used to treat attention-deficit disorder. The 39-year-old Royals infielder, a six-time All-Star, apologizes to the organization, his teammates, and the Kansas City fans, explaining his medical condition requires medication but that he was wrong to take it while re-applying for a Therapeutic Use Exemption.
2013 Clayton Kershaw blanks the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, 5-0, giving the Dodgers their first double-digit winning streak since 2006. In their last fifty games, the team's 42 victories, including a 25-3 mark since the All-Star break, equals the 1941 Yankees and 1942 Cardinals for the best record for that span of games since 1900.
2014 Michael Cuddyer is the 30th player to hit for multiple cycles but becomes only the third player to accomplish the feat in both the American and National League, joining Bob Watson (Astros, 1977, and Red Sox, 1979) and John Olerud (Mets, 1997, and Mariners, 2001). An eighth-inning double off Reds reliever Manny Parra, who yielded three hits in the outfielder's first cycle in 2009 while pitching for the Brewers, completes the rare baseball occurrence.

49 Fact(s) Found